Do you even blog, bro?

As I’m drafting advent readings for the upcoming season, it dawns on me that I haven’t updated this blog since . . . well, last advent.

Not that many have really noticed, but here are a few reasons why:

The Priority of ‘IRL’ Ministry. This blog was always intended to serve and supplement my shepherding and teaching ministry in real life (‘IRL’). That is, my primary audience is my congregation at Westgate, and folks in the surrounding area (though it’s been nice to see the Lord use it beyond that scope). In that regard, I’ve noticed two things over the past couple of years: (1) my pastoral and leadership responsibilities at Westgate have left less time and energy for blogging, and (2) this blog is not a particularly effective a platform for our congregation. Hence, less time blogging.

A Reduction of Time Online. Added to that, I’ve tried to reduce the amount of time I’m online over the last year or so. I don’t spend near as much time reading blogs as I used to. Not because there isn’t great content; for whatever reason I’ve spent more time with podcasts. Nothing particularly strategic or intentional to this, but less time reading blogs has also translated into less time blogging.

An Assistant who Oversees Communication at Church. I’ve also been blessed this year by adding an assistant who now oversees our communication at church, including our online presence (i.e., website, social media). In the past, I did a lot of the social media communication, which I no longer have to spend a lot of time thinking about or doing. And less time thinking about using social media to communicate, has meant less time generating content to be communicated. Hence, less blogging.

I still expect to post here from time to time in the future (i.e., see the upcoming advent readings). And I plan to keep the resources here available for the foreseeable future. But for anyone, these are the main reasons for less traffic.